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1 (THE FIRST PROLOGUE.)

Prologue

HECYRA¹ is the name of this Play; when it was represented for the first time, an unusual disaster and calamity² interrupted it, so that it could not be witnessed throughout or estimated; so much had the populace, carried away with admiration, devoted their attention to some rope-dancing. It is now offered as though entirely a new Play;
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and he who wrote it did not wish to bring it forward then a second time, on purpose that he might be able again to sell it.³ Other Plays of his⁴ you have seen represented; I beg you now to give your attention to this.

Hecyra. Publius Terentius Afer (Terence). Henry Thomas Riley (Translator), George Colman (Translator). Ney York. 1874.

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Current edition Perseus

Hecyra; The Mother-in-Law (English) (Terence. The Comedies of Terence. Riley, Henry Thomas; Colman, George, translators. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1872.)

Editions (1)

Hecyra Perseus (Terence. Publii Terentii Comoediae Sex. Parry, Edward St. John, editor. London: Whittaker and Co.; George Bell, 1857.) — prologue.pr1 focus

PROLOGUS

Hecyra est huic nomen fabulae: haec cum data
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Nova est novum intervenit vitium et calamitas,

Ut neque spectari neque cognosci potuerit.

Ita populus studio stupidus in funambulo

Animum occuparat. Nunc haec plane est pro nova;
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Et is qui scripsit hanc ob eam rem noluit

Iterum referre ut iterum posset vendere.

Alias cognostis eius: quaeso hanc nunc noscite.

ALTER PROLOGUS.

PROLOGUS

Orator ad vos venio ornatu prologi:

Sinite exorator sim, eodem ut iure uti senem
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Liceat quo iure sum usus adolescentior;

Novas qui exactas feci ut inveterascerent,

Ne cum poeta scriptura evanesceret.

In his quas primum Caecili didici novas

Partim sum earum exactus, partim vix steti.
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Quia scibam dubiam fortunam esse scenicam,

Spe incerta certum mihi laborem sustuli.

Easdem agere coepi ut ab eodem alias discerem

Novas studiose, ne illum ab studio abducerem.

Perfeci ut spectarentur. Ubi sunt cognitae,
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Placitae sunt. Ita poetam restitui in locum

Prope iam remotum iniuria adversarium

Ab studio atque ab labore atque arte musica.

Quod si scripturam sprevissem in praesentia,

Et in deterrendo voluissem operam sumere,
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Ut in otio esset potius quam in negotio,

Deterruissem facile ne alias scriberet.

Nunc quid petam mea causa aequo animo attendite.

Hecyram ad vos refero, quam mihi per silentium

Numquam agere licitum est; ita eam oppressit calamitas.
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Eam calamitatem vestra intelligentia

Sedabit, si erit adiutrix nostrae industriae.

Quum primum eam agere coepi, pugilum gloria,

Funambuli eodem accessit expectatio:

Comitum conventus, strepitus, clamor mulierum
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Fecere ut ante tempus exirem foras.

Vetere in nova coepi uti consuetudine,

In experiendo ut essem: refero denuo

Primo actu placeo; quum interea rumor venit

Datum iri gladiatores; populus convolat:
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Tumultuantur, clamant, pugnant de loco:

Ego interea meum non potui tutari locum.

Nunc turba nulla est: otium et silentium est:

Agendi tempus mihi datum est: vobis datur

Potestas condecorandi ludos scenicos.
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Nolite sinere per vos artem musicam

Recidere ad paucos: facite ut vestra auctoritas

Meae auctoritati fautrix adiutrixque sit.

Si numquam avare pretium statui arti meae,

Et eum esse quaestum in animum induxi maximum,
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Quam maxime servire vestris commodis,

Sinite impetrare me, qui in tutelam meam

Studium suum et se in vestram commisit fidem,

Ne cun circumventum inique iniqui irrideant.

Mea causa causam hanc accipite, et date silentium,
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Ut libeat scribere aliis, mihique ut discere

Novas expediat posthac pretio emtas meo.

Notes on the current edition

Hecyra; The Mother-In-Law

1. Hecyra: The Greek word Ἕκυρα a step-mother, or mother-in-law, Latinized.

2. And calamity: Calamitas. This word is used in the same sense in the first line of the Eunuch. This is evidently the Prologue spoken on the second attempt to bring forward the piece. On the first occasion it probably had none. Vitium was a word used by the Augurs, with whom it implied an unfavorable omen, and thence came to be used for any misfortune or disaster. He seems to mean the depraved taste of the public, that preferred exhibitions of rope-dancers and pugilists to witnessing his Plays.

3. Again to sell it: See the last Note to the Second Prologue.

4. Other Plays of his: Madame Dacier informs us that Vossius was of opinion that the second representation of this Play did not take place till after that of the Adelphi. In that case, they had already seen the rest of his Plays.

Publius Terentius Afer (Terence) Hecyra prologue.pr1

Henry Thomas Riley (Translator), George Colman (Translator)

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Current edition Perseus

ALTER PROLOGUS.

Notes on the current edition

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